Thank you

The soft running shoes pounded across the concrete sidewalk as I ran, breath escaping my mouth in a warm steam. My heart was probably thudding but I couldn't hear it over my lungs greedily sucking in air. Running really sucked.

Though it felt nice to do with an objective in mind, and the burning in my legs and lungs distracted me from my thoughts. This was the second night I was leaving home at these late hours in a row and it gave me a strange feeling in my heart, I never would've done any of this in the past. A week ago I would've never anticipated this. I mean who could predict ever killing somebody!

Things had gotten so complicated and it was a lot. I felt tears building up at the edge of my eye. I got a strong urge to just go home, curl up in my blankets and masturbate till I could feel nothing!

But…

That wouldn't take care of the body. So here I was, investigating the murder I committed. It would help if the person who actually hid the body would communicate. I grit my teeth and sent a wave of anger towards him, I was sure that he would receive it. All I got back was a smug sense of being mocked. Dick.

I ran faster pushing more effort into my legs, I was getting tired but damn did I have energy!

Reaching closer to the place of the "event". The houses were getting more worn out and lower to the ground from four stories to one or two. The beginning of the slums.

My anxiety was starting to hike up, and because I was warmer this time around I could even feel myself starting to sweat.

I passed those houses where people peeked last time and they were dead, no lights and no people this time. I didn't know if that was good or bad.

I continued walking a bit until finally I saw the bench.

The bench where it all started.

I moved closer, keeping alert to my surroundings. And it was empty. Nothing.

There was no blanket or anything, No sign that anyone had ever slept or lived here. What was going on?

I moved over to the other side of the road looking for any other signs of our scuffle. Blood, broken bottle pieces or even his shoe or something that fell off. Nothing.

I scratched my head, and I moved through even more possibilities. Yes I had a demon cow or spirit in my head or whatever but this was fucking weird!

I could accept I was hearing voices and talking to myself. This was beyond me though. I also didn't want to ask him, cause that felt like accepting whatever weirdness was happening.

I immediately heard a chuckling in my head, it felt loud enough to vibrate my eardrums.

"Oh but I don't need your acceptance now, you already did last time."

"And ohhhh was it sweet!"

Could the police have come and found the but just assumed it was someone else who did it?. Surely someone could have reported this! someone died for God's sake. Think Harry!

Could it be?

I remembered an article. Annette once was researching an essay on Sumerhaven's dense homeless population. It was strikingly higher than all the other settlements nearby. She then showed him some newspaper articles and one stuck out to him. He didn't read it properly but remembered the title, "The town of Sumerhaven: The land of kings is actually the land of the homeless?"

I didn't believe it, there were no homeless people here and it didn't even look that bad. Maybe he should ask Styles', He always had all manner of people in his home.

A twig snapped, breaking my chain of thought. I stepped back as fast as I could and raised my hands in a defensive position.

Another homeless person. I didn't stop to think. I wouldn't hesitate this time. I glanced around for a rock or anything to throw at a distance. There was nothing, fuck!

I took a quick look at him, he didn't have a weapon. I was less sure about this but I decided to run and close the distance before he could. Bursting forward and roaring. I have no idea why I roared but I did it.

I stepped on the bench and jumped over it. Ready to kill!.

"WAIT!, wait!, master please!"

She tumbled over, their belongings spilling all over the ground. That made me pause. It was a girl. Tiny, skinny and wearing an old bomber jacket and at bottom were dark brown pants with lines running through them, I think they were called corduroys. She had a neat bowl cut that framed her brown hair nicely.

She shuffled back, raising her hands repeatedly and bowing her head down.

"Im sorry, Im sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry sorry sor-"

She was spitting out the words quickly out of her mouth. I didn't recognise her. Was she a crazy person? but her ramblings were getting annoying, and her fear left a bitter taste in my mouth. "Stop that!" I shouted.

She immediately shut up and looked down at the ground, not daring to look me in the eyes. I decided to look around and see what was really happening. She had a bag that was brown, patched up and absolutely loaded with a lot of stuff. It was so full that you could see it bulged with sharp edges of different items. There was obviously no space for her blanket seeing that it was secured tightly on top. Wait, I knew that blanket.

I stepped closer and kneeled down. My movements caused her to flinch but I ignored her and grabbed at the thick blanket. I ran my fingers through it, feeling the tough but reassuring softness that would sometimes be interrupted by a patch of different material. They didn't make it feel worse but instead it felt like home, not perfect but very lived in.

My mind was taken back to its warmth when it comforted me before flashing back to what happened to its owner. I got pissed.

"Where did you get this!?" I felt like kicking her, has she no shame? Stealing from a dead man.

She immediately curled up and wailed."Nooo!!!, I'm sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry"

I could see her brown corduroys starting to darken near her crotch and the ground under becoming wet. She was trembling like a leaf and that taste returned to my mouth.

"Ugh, damn It's okay. it's okay" I wanted to reach over and comfort her but when I leaned closer, the smell hit me. I stayed where I was and just made calming gestures.

After a few minutes she finally calmed down and peeked from under her arm. Seeing me still there, she flinched again.

"Hey… hey… I just need to know where you got that blanket. I need to know. I'm not going to hurt you okay?"

She gave me a wary look and bowed her head, "Master, I just got it from Old fred"

"He's the one around here who normally is really great at fixing people's clothes-"

She hesitated to continue.

"-But today I find his stuff right here and me and him were real tight. He always said I can have his stuff if he ever was dead"

She hesitated at the end before adding.

"Master"

That did seem plausible, but the girl's words were not comforting me, not one bit.

His name was old Fred and I had killed him, he even had people depending on him.

"Ughhhh, Enough with the pity party. I would rather see her piss herself again"

A warmth grew from him, muddying my thoughts a little.

"As a matter of fact, she's kinda cute. If I were you I would rip those wet little p-"

I shook my head. Let me continue my questioning. Some things still bothered me.

"Why do you keep calling me master and how do you even know he's dead and you've already taken his stuff"

She paused, her big brown eyes with dark circles around them scanned my face. She looked away and bowed her head. She didn't speak now

I waited for a response.

Until I got impatient, "Hey! come on!, I don't have all day please"

Still nothing. I was getting frustrated and was moving my hand closer to shake her despite the potential diseases, when she screamed. Really loudly. Fuck!, she was going to wake up the whole neighborhood at this point. I dashed over not thinking about it and clamped my hands over her mouth.

She thrashed around, she was quite cold and I winced at her body temperature but otherwise was quite weak. Only having me strain a little to hold her down.

The only difficult moment was during the thrashing, and I felt a heat rise up in my loins. What was I becoming?

She finally finished her energy, only able to weakly cry. Tears stained her sunken cheeks.

"Im going to let go okay?, please don't scream alright?"

She didn't respond. I took it as a yes because I was really getting uncomfortable in a certain area of my body. Something was really wrong with me.

She didn't continue screaming, so I asked again. "Why do you think he's dead and why do you keep on calling me master, it's weird!"

She sniffled, using her tattered sleeve to wipe her face.

"It's-"

"It's you master!, you came by the safehouse today!, at night. I don't know why you're asking me master but I'll behave it- it won't be like last time"

"I'm a good girl right now, right?"

I got a bad feeling from this. I didn't remember anything after meeting old Fred. Which means Ortho was in control and I almost didn't want to hear.

In the back of my mind I heard giggling and this girl's explanations were so tiring to wait for. "Yes?, what did I do? I forgot"

She glanced at me, but continued "Y-you weren't wearing any clothes and your thing was hard"

"Get to the point!" I snapped, I didn't need these extra details.

She jumped, her whole body shaking all over. "You asked us what we saw. And we were freaked out of course, you were naked. The way you talked though it was obvious you were posh"

"So Toucan, he lied. said we saw everything. We didn't. Just saw some kid wonked out running around with no clothes. Pretty weird this close to the 'burbs but nothing we ain't seen before"

She again looked at me, "You didn't like that"

"I ain't never seen someone twist another's arm like that. Toucan cried all the way up the stairs and we could still hear him squealing while up there", she covered her mouth while saying that part.

"Old ma, is a fighter unlike me. And she wanted to leave and take me with her but I refused. I was too much of a pussy, but she did, and said she was gonna find help.

'Till I saw her being dragged in by you. No idea how you did it. You dragged her up too and I heard you start again with her"

She paused

"Master"

"You came down those stairs all slow like, like those jazz players. You weren't hard no more. And y-you started asking me"

She raised her right arm, showing me her hand. It looked a mangled mess underneath blood soaked bandages, they were dirty brown too. She had started crying but didn't stop speaking.

A bubbling feeling rose from my belly. I recognised it and it sickened me. I was aroused.

"I'm just grateful you decided to go easy on lil old me. I know you could've gone harder. I saw how you did them. All I needed to do was to call ya Master"

She bowed kneeling to the ground.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you"